A thin-film magnetic head includes a reproduction element having a multilayer film exhibiting a magnetoresistance effect between a lower shield layer and an upper shield layer. The head reads magnetic information from a recording medium on the basis of a variation in resistance of the multilayer film. At least one of recording media has a pair of magnetic core layers opposed to each other on a medium-opposed surface to the recording medium with a magnetic gap layer interposed therebetween. Magnetic information is recorded by applying a magnetic field leaked from the magnetic gap layer to the recording medium. In a complex-type thin-film magnetic head having both the reproduction element and the recording element, the recording element is stacked on the reproduction element.
In the thin-film magnetic head, it is preferably to make a facing gap between an element portion smaller so as to improve head characteristics (emitting characteristic and recording characteristic). Related art teaches that the element portion projects toward the recording medium at a distance of approximately several nm by thermal expansion by using a heat-emitting member emitting heat by electrification. The heat-emitting member is formed in a plane pattern parallel to the film surfaces of the layers constituting the thin-film magnetic head, and is disposed between the layers. Specifically, the heat-emitting member is disposed on the bottom layer of a lower core layer or on the top layer of an upper core layer, between the lower core layer and the upper core layer, or in a surface protecting layer. The thin-film magnetic head having the heat-emitting member is disclosed in Patent Documents JP-A-2005-011413 and JP-A-2005-166106 (US 2005117242A1).
However, in the related art, since the projecting the element portion to the recording medium expands the periphery of the element portion by heat, it is difficult to control the element portion to project farther toward the recording medium. Assuming that a projection amount in the periphery of the element portion is larger than the projection amount in the element portion, the periphery of the element portion is in contact with the recording medium before the element portion. Therefore, there is a possibility that the recording and emitting characteristics will be deteriorated and the recording medium will be damaged. Further, in related art, since heat efficiency (the ratio between heat supplied to the element portion and a total heat emitted by the heat-emitting member) is low and it is necessary to increase an electrical power supplied to the heat-emitting member so as to cause the element to project farther, thus efficiency is lowered.